Is it really spring at last?

Most years our Fuji Cherry is in full bloom on Pete's birthday, but yesterday there were just a few open flowers. It won't be long until the rest catch up, but many are being knocked off in their prime by raindrops. This is a set of blossoms I gathered from the lawn late this afternoon, when the rain had  stopped. 

It turned into quite a nice evening, so I went for a quick walk round Thorpe Wood before dinner. It's changed a lot since I did my bird transect last Friday. Delicate leaves are now unfurling on the hazel (see extra) and Midland Hawthorn bushes, and there were several bluebells out among the swathes of wood anemones, primroses and early dog-violets. There was also plenty of evening bird song, including blackbirds, robins, blue tits  and dunnocks, all of whom were suspiciously quiet when I last visited,  first thing on a chilly morning!